With two games pending from postponements, the Prophet put up a .500week, going 2-2 on his high school picks.
The rage of a sage tooktwo out of three in lacrosse picks, but missed the "Baseball Game ofthe Week."
Prophet Pat thought for sure that highly regarded Old Mill would whip Arundel in 4A Region IV baseball, since Old Mill was at home.
Forget that. Coach Bernie Walter's Wildcats out-slugged the PatriotsMonday afternoon to win, 11-8. The Prophet had picked Old Mill by two runs.
The victory was the unbeaten Wildcats' seventh in a row, as Old Mill slipped to 4-2.
The Prophet did say, "This game will bea beauty," and it was, but he should have listened to Coach Walter, who had forewarned him, "They (the Patriots) may not be as good as everyone thinks."
In boys lacrosse, three big games were played. TheProphet only missed on Severna Park at Annapolis, taking the former Falcons by one point. Friday night, the Prophet heard from Annapolis coach Dan Hart.
"We want to thank you for making us the underdog and also saying that there may not be a dominant team in the county public school league," Hart said, after his Panthers smoked the Falcons, 8-3.
"We may have proven that there is a dominant team," added Hart, whose guys own victories over contenders Arundel (5-4) and Severna Park and visit Broadneck Friday night.
The Prophet was right about the Severn and St. Mary's stick teams.
On Severn, the rage of a sage said, "This is where the bubble bursts," and referred to its 11-0 record as being "padded." He picked St. Paul's to deal the Admirals their first loss by a goal, and the Crusaders won, 10-9, at Severnlast Friday.
St. Mary's was to be the winner over Baltimore Gilman in the MSA A Conference Tuesday, whether or not injured star seniors Rob Chomo and David Jones played. The Prophet said it would be Jim Moorhead's Saints by one goal, and it would be much easier if Chomo and Jones returned.
The two Saint leaders returned, and St. Mary's rolled, 10-4.
The Prophet takes an overall record of 143-64 into this week's six-pack. Last week's 2-2 card dropped his percentage by four points to .691.
BASEBALL OLD MILL (5-2) AT SEVERNA PARK (3-1)
3:45 p.m. tomorrow. This is a big test for the host Falcons of Jim Pitt, who are off to a 3-1 start, including Monday's 16-6 blasting of Queen Anne's.
Old Mill bounced back from Monday's loss to arch-rival Arundel to run its record to 5-2 by edging Chesapeake, 10-9.
The Pats' pitching has been inconsistent, after first being considered a strength. And in most games at Severna Park's band box (335 feet indead center), where the baseball literally jumps out of the park, pitchers who strike out people are desperately needed.
It's doubtfulthat either club will have someone out there tomorrow who will strike out a lot of people, so look for a home-run derby. If you like shootouts, you will love this one.
The Prophet expects one of those 14-10 games, with Severna Park on the short end. You see, the game may be at Severna Park, but in "Hitters' Paradise," there is no home field advantage.
"No, there's really not, because since we moved into this park, we've won more games on the road," laughed Pitt, who wouldlove one day to erect a high wall all the way around, similar to Fenway Park's Green Monster, to cut down on the dingers.
Old Mill plus 2 over Severna Park.
BOYS LACROSSE ANNAPOLIS (5-2) AT BROADNECK (4-2)
7:30 p.m. tomorrow, "Game of the Week." All right, you Panthers, you didn't think because you rubbed it in last Friday night through your coach that it would scare the Prophet, did you?
Nope! The Prophet is going against the Hart attack once again, because Broadneckis home and might have a better defense than the Panthers.
Tuesday, Broadneck ripped Old Mill (2-5), 13-6, while Annapolis was beltingMeade (4-4), 12-7, in setting up tomorrow night's barn-burner. And abarn-burner is what it should be.
The Prophet is playing a hunch that the Bruins will devise a special game plan to slow Hart's running game and win the battle of ground balls, and thus, the game.
Broadneck plus 1 over Annapolis.
AH: St. Mary's (6-0) at Loyola of Towson (2-0)
noon Saturday. Here is where Moorhead's Saints suffer their first loss. Over the last seven years, the Dons have done nothing but dominate the Saints. And with still another MSA A Conference powerhouse, this year should be the same.
Ranked No. 1 in the Baltimore metro area, the Dons are off to a 2-0 start, including Tuesday's 17-5 demolition of Mount St. Joseph, a team the Saints struggled to get by last Friday, 4-3.
Loyola, in a word, is "awesome," and on its home turf in Blakefield, the Dons are practically invincible.
The Saints will have to play a near-perfect game to win. The likes of senior attackman Chomo and midfielder Jones will have to play their best games after only one game back from injuries.
The Prophet feelsSt. Mary's will hang on until the final period, when the Dons' depthwill wear down the Saints. St. Mary's would have a better chance at Weems Whelan Field in Annapolis, but. . . .
Loyola plus 2 over St.Mary's.
BOYS' LATIN (7-0) AT SEVERN (11-2)
1 p.m. Saturday. This is a very tough game to call with Severn losing its last two games, by 10-9 to St. Paul's last Friday and 9-8 to Calvert Hall (5-1) Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the metro area's second-ranked visitors from Baltimore are 7-0 after ripping St. Paul's (5-1), 14-9, Tuesday.
Will Severn lose its third in a row, and at home yet?
The Prophet thinks so, because he is convinced the Admirals' confidence has been shattered, and their game now is strictly mental. They've got to be thinking about getting beat and expecting the worse to happen during this slump, and playing an MSA A Conference power such as Boys' Latin doesn't help.
Boys' Latin has more firepower, especially on attack, and Severn dearly misses the area's premier midfielder in graduated Ryan Wade these big games. He was the difference in the close ones last year, and no one has stepped up to take his place.
Boys' Latin plus 2 over Severn.
GIRLS LACROSSE ANNAPOLIS (3-2) AT CHESAPEAKE (5-0)
7p.m. Tuesday.
Coach Jim Buchan has this Chesapeake team on a rollat 5-0 overall and 10 straight, dating back to last season.
Tuesday, the upstart Cougars defeated St. Mary's, 10-7, as Julie Smith pumped in five goals.
There was no reason to believe that the Cougarswouldn't hammer 1-6 Spalding tomorrow and extend its streak to 11 going into Tuesday's battle with 3-2 Annapolis, a 23-2 winner over Meade Tuesday.
If Chesapeake can take this one Tuesday, it will prove to be "the dark horse" in Class 4A that the Prophet said it was a couple weeks ago. A win in this one will go a long way in making next Friday's visit to unbeaten Severna Park (5-0) really intriguing.
Buchan has these girls believing they can win. And look for Smith and Diane McBee to lead the way over Annapolis and set up, arguably, the biggest girls lacrosse game in Chesapeake's history on April 19.
Chesapeake plus 1 over Annapolis.
SOFTBALL NORTH COUNTY (4-3) AT NORTHEAST (5-0)
3:45 p.m. tomorrow. Are the host Eagles, at 5-0 with an incredible 61 wins in a row, ripe for an upset, as Karen Hay and the Knights come calling in Pasadena tomorrow?
It's tempting to call this one the "Upset of the Week," with the law of averages saying the Eagles will lose one sooner or later.
Nah, forget it. Kristy Zulkawon't let it happen. Chalk up another Northeast shutout.
Northeast plus 2 over North County.
The Prophet to date
Right...Wrong... Pct.
143.. ..64... . .691